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At the G8 a problem shared is a problem shelved

In his new Untold History of the United States the film director Oliver Stone
gives an amusing account of the social gavotte danced by Stalin, Roosevelt
and Churchill before the Tehran conference in 1943.

FDR thought he could “personally handle Stalin better on his own” and tried to
persuade Winston that it wasn’t worth the trip. Churchill would have none of
it, so Roosevelt had to stay at the Soviet embassy to grab private face-time
with the Soviet leader.

In modern times no political leader wants to miss the chance of a meeting with
their peers — as great as, or even a little greater than, themselves. The
“family photos” and anecdotes of jokes shared are what they put in their
memoirs.

Tomorrow the 10 leaders who make up the G8 will be in luxury accommodation in
a remote corner of Northern Ireland: the prime ministers or presidents of
America, Canada,